I’m grateful to my esteemed Italian publisher, Edizioni Piemme, for purchasing rights to Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and also for the fantastic book cover they’ve selected and designed. So I’d like to say, “Grazie mille!” to everyone at Edizioni Piemme for believing in CeeCee and me. Italy is one of my absolute favorite countries, in fact, that’s where my wonderful husband Mark and I chose to spend out honeymoon. I can’t wait to hold the Italian translation in my hands.

Today I received a photograph of this outstanding book cover for the soon to be released German translation of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.  I think it’s fabulous!  So I’d like to say, “Danke vielmals!” to Kiepenheuer & Witsch, my esteemed German publisher, for their great vision and care in designing a cover that so beautifully represents Savannah.

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On Monday, August 30th, I was busy working on my newest novel when I received a call from my publicist, Shannon Twomey of Viking/Penguin. I could sense the excitement in her voice when she asked if I had seen the TODAY Show. I hadn’t. Then, when she told me that Kathy Lee Gifford selected Saving CeeCee Honeycutt for the “Kathy Lee & Hoda’s Favorite Things” segment of the show, I was stunned.

A few minutes later my phone started ringing, my email in-box exploded, and everyone was talking about it. Shannon sent me a link to the video clip of the show, and when I watched Kathy Lee pick up my novel and heard her say that she “adored” it, well … I was speechless. So, I wanted to post a special note of thanks to Kathy Lee for reading my book, for loving it, and for her kindness. Kathy Lee, you gave me a memory that I will never forget!

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In just a few days my friend and fellow author, Pamela King Cable, will be traveling through Kentucky, and she’s stopping to see me! I’m so excited that I can hardly stand it. She’s coming from the Carolinas where it’s blistering hot, and there will be no reprieve because it’s blistering hot here too! I tease her that I’ll have a kiddie pool set up on the back patio just waiting for her arrival, and we laugh and envision ourselves lounging beneath an umbrella while sipping vast quantities of ice-cold sweet tea and telling stories.

And speaking of stories, Pam is an outstanding Southern writer, and her collection of short stories titled Southern Fried Women is a favorite. If you haven’t read it yet, for Pete sakes what are you waiting for? Go to your local bookstore and buy it right now, each story is a treasure.

So, come the end of the month if you don’t see me blogging much, well that’s because Pam and I will be out in the kiddie pool laughing ourselves sick … ’cause that’s what we girls do.

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On August 5th, my sweet bobtail kitty, Bobb-O, was diagnosed with lymphoma. I was (am) devastated. He had his first chemotherapy treatment the very next day. I wept when a technician took him from my arms, and he reached out a paw to me as she carried him out of the room and down the hall. As she pushed through a swinging door and disappeared, I felt weak-kneed with helplessness.

There is no cure for this insidious disease, but with treatment he might enjoy one more comfortable year with me, possibly even a bit more, hopefully not less.

As his guardian, best friend, momma, and now his nurse, the keyword for me is “comfortable”—and though I’m sick with heartache and that hole-in-the-gut feeling that comes to us animal lovers when we know a beloved furbaby is heading toward The Rainbow Bridge—I’ll never let him suffer.

And so it is that my beautiful furry friend and I have begun an unexpected journey that we’ll go through … together.

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